Appearance:

Adult male easily recognized by its red head, chest and rump. Females and juvenile males may be mistaken for House Sparrow or Corn Bunting, but are slimmer with shorter and deeper bill. Juvenile plumage olive-brown with dark streaking and buff double wing-bars. Posture often erect, but with short neck, making the bird seem long-tailed. Heavily undulated flight.

Sound:

Song very characteristic. A melodious, pure and short whistle, often rendered as "pleased to meet you". Each note with a smooth gliding change of pitch. Number of syllables may vary. Contact call a short ascending "hueet" resembling Siskin in timbre.

Song:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Appearance:

Medium sized, brown raptor with shallowly forked tail. Juveniles with mottled appearance, due to buffed tips of wing coverts. Easily mistaken for Red Kite, but tail is not that deeply forked, upper side of tail is dark brown and head not so pale (plumage colours overall more uniform). Base of primaries paler than the rest of the underwing (especially in Middle-East birds), but with much less contrast to the black wing tips than in Red Kite. Differs from dark morphed Booted Eagle by the forked tail. Wings held horizontally (separates it from harriers). Typically twists it's tail frequently to maintain position in the air (like Red Kite).

Sound:

A piercing, first ascending then descending long "piuuu". Starting as a clear tone then gradually taking on a vibrating character that differs from Red Kite. Also a sharp "kieee -ki- ki-ki". More vocal than Red Kite.

Call:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-sound:Patrik Åberg, Licence,Link.